DuskBlades

[Sitara]

I really want to like Duskblades, but they appear to actually get weaker as they advance. Their spell list, quite frankly, SUCKS from level 3 onwards.

Are they really any good?

Why don't they get magic missile? They should also have mage armor, but I can guess they didi not get it due to balance reasons. Oh and why don't they get lightning bolt when they get chain lightning at level 5? (makes no sense dusky would learn a more difficult version of the spell but no the easy one)

What about PRc's? Any good one's for Duskblades? What about rumathari battlemage? (weak HD, average BAB, but a great boost in spellcasting and metamagic)

Lastly, what do you say to multiclassing a duskblade with the warblade from bo9s?

 

[Maleketh]

I've played a couple of duskblades and quite like them. Channel spell is really the highlight of the class, and being able to do it with a full attack is simply awesome.

Oh, and they don't get mage armor because they wouldn't really get a lot of use out of it, since it doesn't stack with the regular armor they can already wear without penalty.

 

[Sitara]

Yeah but see then they wouldn't need to wear armor at all, and be able to use skills like hide/movesilently quite well.

 

[isoChron]

use bracers of armor

 

[Slaved]

Mithral Chain Shirt would be better for the price.

Duskblades are incredibly powerful at what they do. Full base attack bonus, two good saving throws, lots of casting, and more besides.

You want them to be even better?? They are already insane!

 

[Sitara]

I just want a better spell list. And slightly better spell progression...but hey.
From what isee, a wizard 5/ Fighter 1/ Eldirtch Knight X (Or Raumathari Battlemage X)would be somewhat worse off at melee, but MUCH better at casting. (all spell levels!)

 

[Klaus]

My favorite fighter/mage class is (as I've repeated extensively here) Unearthed Arcana's Battle Sorcerer.

Take a Sorcerer.

Remove 1 spell known per level (minimum 1)
Remove 1 spell per day per level (minimum 0)
Increase BAB to cleric's.
Increase HD to d8.
Trade in Bluff for Intimidate.
Add in Armored Mage (light) (like a Bard or Warlock).
Add in Martial Weapon proficiency in one light or one-handed weapon.

 

[Quez The Lame]

My favorite fighter/mage class is (as I've repeated extensively here) Unearthed Arcana's Battle Sorcerer.

Add Stalwart Sorcerer from Complete Mage for even more fun (and hitpoints).

You might have to ask your DM though, as Stalwart Sorcerer comes for free for Battle Sorcerers if you don't play high level. SS reduces number of spells known of the highest level by 1, min 1. But because of BS you won't have more than one spell known of your highes level until level 20.

 

[Slaved]

I just want a better spell list. And slightly better spell progression...but hey.
From what isee, a wizard 5/ Fighter 1/ Eldirtch Knight X (Or Raumathari Battlemage X)would be somewhat worse off at melee, but MUCH better at casting. (all spell levels!)

The Wizard is not a spontaneous caster while the Duskblade is.

Comparing a Wizard 5/ Fighter 1/ Eldritch Knight 10 to a Duskblade 16 the Duskblade is above by 3 points of Base Attack Bonus, 2 Caster Levels, about 16 Hit Points, 2 Zeroth Level Spells, 5 First Level Spells, 5 Second Level Spells, 4 Third Level Spells, 2 Fourth Level Spells, 1 Point of Reflex Saving Throw, 3 Points of Willpower Saving Throw, and some other class abilities. The Knight is above by 3 Fifth Level Spells, 3 Sixth Level Spells, 2 Seventh Level Spells, and a wider spell selection.

Just given that there are important differences between each!

 

[nittanytbone]

One of the advantages of the Duskblade is simplicity. It is a decent Fighter-Mage in a can. Just like the Beguiler is a decent Thief-Mage in a can.

Can you make better multirole characters by careful multiclassing and feat selection drawing from multiple sourcebooks? Sure.

But you can't beat the Duskblade or Beguiler for ease of use. That's great for an overworked DM when designing NPCs or for novice players who want to play "a trickster mage" or a "fighter that dabbles in magic" without having to look through a half dozen books.

The biggest downside to a Duskblade, IMHO, is not the lack of offensive magic. It is more the loss of utility magic. The best thing about being a fighting mage is that you can gain versatility over the pure fighter by throwing down Unseen Servant and Leomund's Secure Shelter one day and opening up the pain the next. Duskblades are much more one dimensional.

To answer your concerns, as a GM, I'd allow independent spell research. For a suitable (very expensive) fee that drains wealth from the party, I'd allow extra spells to be added to the limited spell list. Game balance is intact (enough wealth is drained to balance the new ability) and the player is happy; its a win win.